Patience With D'Angelo

The following is a guest post by Lakerfanatics:

While some have been disappointed by Russell's play, you have to take into consideration that he's just a 19 year old rookie in the NBA. D'Angelo Russell only played 1 year in college and making a jump to the NBA where it's a far more competitive and grinding atmosphere is quite difficult. Some say that Okafor, Towns, Mudiay, and even Stanley Johnson are having better campaigns as of late in their rookie debuts. None of them play a position where not only does Russell have to know his spots, but know his teammates spots on the floor as well. To ask a 19 year old rookie to do that is a heavy burden. 

Yes, he's the highest pick the Lakers have had in quite awhile, but the expectations are extremely high. In Los Angeles, the pressure is always immense but I believe in the kid. Nothing is going to happen overnight. As with most rookies, they need time to develop and mature, and they will over time. Russell has shown flashes of what he can do on the court. Making spectacular passes at times, and showing the ability to lead a team. He's going to have turnovers, he's going to have bad shooting days, and he's going to look lost on defense here and there. But that's all part of the process and learning your way in the league. 

Lakers fans have to be patient with Russell. He's eventually going to grow as a player, get an NBA body, get quicker, and lead a team post Kobe Bryant. With Clarkson and Randle being budding players in this league, the future is going to be bright for the Lakers. It's just taking the bumps and the bruises as the years come along and wait for this team to get back to prominence.

At the moment, Russell is averaging about 9.5 points per game, 2.7 assists per game, and 4 rebounds per game. He's also shooting around 39% from the field and 31% from behind the arc. Those may not be staggering numbers, but for a kid straight out of college that only played one year, they aren't bad. Could they be better? Sure they can, and they will the more playing time Russell sees on the floor. Even Kobe Bryant, who entered the league in 1996, wasn't scoring as much as Russell is now. Some rookies find their niche in the league a lot earlier than others. 

I believe Russell will have a slow but progressive outcome. He's not busting out of the gates with big numbers statistically, but his game has improved since the first game of the season. He's seeing his teammates better and he's getting more aggressive attacking the basket. It's far fetched unfair to call Russell a “bust” especially since the kid hasn't even played a full season in the NBA. Let him show what he can do in 2-3 years from now. I'm sure it will be a positive outcome for the fans and the team. Just be patient with the young man and let's just see how his career blossoms in the  NBA.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

It's Game Time. I'm hoping tonight Jordan Clarkson can turn it up, as he matches Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has been known to be a beast on the court. Russell Westbrook shoots the second to most free throws in the league. As well, Oklahoma City Thunder gets the second to most fouls in the entire NBA. The incredible Kevin Durant is still out of the game for foot soreness. He's missed about 45 games so far and will miss the rest of the season. 

Our Lakers starters tonight are Jordan Clarkson, Jeremy Lin, Tarik Black, Ryan Kelly, and Wesley Johnson. The Lakers are starting out with a zone defense tonight. Russell Westbrook is already at the free throw line. In case you haven't heard, the Great Steve Nash has Officially retired from the NBA. He was definitely one of my all time favourite players. The Thunder is taking the lead with 2:30 left in the quarter. Enes Kanter is having a great game. As well as Tarik Black, slamming some nice ones in. Kanter already has a double double in a mere 11 minutes. This is Enes Kanter's 6th straight double double. He's such an impressive player. The Thunder has had some crazy good rebounding tonight so far. We're heading into the second quarter and the Lakers are down by 10 with a score of 37–27 Thunder. 

The Thunder is starting off this second quarter strong. D.J. Augustin just got an assist, getting the ball to Steven Adams. Again, D.J. Augustin just set up an alley oop to Westbrook, taking another assist, as Westbrook slams the ball in the hoop. That was beautiful! Robert Sacre just picked up his second personal foul. The Lakers just turned the ball over for the seventh time. Jordan Clarkson just made an awesome dunk, throwing it down with both hands. Jeremy Lin just hit his second three pointer of the first half. Westbrook already has 10 assists. The Lakers are making this seem so easy for the Thunder. Anthony Morrow just made a 25 foot three point jumper at the last second. We're going into the half with a score of 68–53 Thunder. 

The Thunder is already starting out this second half with some great rebounding. Jeremy Lin is playing really well as a starter. He's spending a lot of time at the free throw line and he already has 18 points. He's the leading scorer of the whole game so far tonight. The Lakers are catching up early in this third quarter, with some help from Jordan Clarkson, giving them a 9 point deficit. I spoke too soon, as Jordan Clarkson just became the leading scorer of the game with 20 points. He's playing an all around great game tonight. Russell Westbrook is so quick and so smooth, as he gets the ball on defense and then again on offense. Westbrook gets a defensive rebound and makes the layup. Then, Jordan Clarkson makes a bad pass, letting Russell Westbrook steal the ball. Then Westbrook makes another layup. Holy Ravioli! He's so money! What a player! The big boss, Ed Davis just made a couple of free throws. In the last game, Ed Davis had 8 points, blocked 4 shots, and had 11 rebounds against the Sixers. When he wants to, he can play some mean bball. Westbrook just knocked down another triple. Jordan Clarkson just drove to the basket, getting an And1, making his shot. We're heading into the fourth quarter with a score of 100-88 Thunder. 

The Thunder already has 58 points in the paint. Sacre just looked like he was glued to the floor, trying to get the ball in the hoop from right under the basket. Of course, he missed his shot. What was that?! I can't help but think Jeremy Lin is becoming a very selfish player. The way he helped to get the win in the last game doesn't truly help the Lakers succeed in the long run. It's definitely short term light and long term darkness. It's one thing to get good stats and it's another not to know when to quit. We need to have the opportunity to have a better team next season and Jeremy Lin playing well is great, but he needs to chill a bit right now. 

Dion Waiters is having a good game tonight. He just slammed one in, making a driving dunk. Anthony Morrow just made a nice three point jumper. It's nice to see Jordan Clarkson playing so well. He's already at his career high of 25 points. The Lakers are shooting 52% so far in this game. It's nice when the Lakers put out a little effort like this. Even when we lose, it makes "The Scoop" more bomb. Next season, we're going to be killing it when we get our MVP back. Jabari Brown just scored a basket. He's a good kid and it's nice to see him gets some minutes. Jordan Clarkson just made a nice layup giving him 30 points. Oklahoma City Thunder takes the win with a final score of 127-117. Jordan Clarkson had 30 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Jeremy Lin had 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 7 assists. Ryan Kelly had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. #GoLakers

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

It's Gametime! I'm hoping Carlos Boozer is going to set the path for the Lakers tonight and lead the way. At this point, I think we all know it's best if the Lakers lose so we can get a good draft pick. Having said that, it would be great to see a challenging, competitive game, up until the last few minutes and take the loss in the end. It really won't be much of a loss for us. The Lakers have to be really on top of their game tonight, being that we don't have many of our players right now. Nick Young is out with a knee injury. The Great Kevin Durant will be missing the game for a minor foot injury. Russell Westbrook is out as well having facial surgery. Although, he might be back within the week. Westbrook is such a competitive player that I wouldn't be surprised. Tarik Black is out as well. OKC is the best rebounding team in the league. I'm sure they're much better rebounding when they have their superstars in the game. 

The Lakers are showing some nice teamwork early on in this game. Serge Ibaka is playing well as usual, showing some great athleticism. The Lakers are missing a bunch of their shots. Jordan Clarkson is the highest scoring Laker in this first quarter, with 5 points. Jordan Clarkson beat the clock at the last second, right at the buzzer, making it 7. We're heading into the second quarter with a score of 28-19 Thunder. 

Jeremy Lin coming out strong, making the first layup. Ed Davis has been playing a little better lately. He seems to always be in the right place at the right time. Wayne Ellington just cut through the court, behind the back, getting the ball to Ed Davis. Nice play by Wayne Ellington and a nice basket by Ed Davis. Jordan Hill just missed a shot, Jeremy Lin got the rebound, making an easy basket. Ed Davis is 4/4 leading the Lakers with 8 points. Wayne Ellington is playing really well, facilitating and getting some nice assists. Ed Davis is really controlling the ball well in the paint. It seems like everyone's trying to get the ball to Ed Davis. The game just tied at 43 with 3:50 left in the half. This is the Ed Davis that I've wanted to see for a long time. If he keeps up this good ball playing, I might be in favor of keeping him next season. Neither team has had a turnover in this second quarter. Wayne Ellington's putting on a nice show, as he makes another basket. Carlos boozer is 2/8 in shooting. So much for him leading the team on a good path tonight. That's alright, the other Lakers are coming through. D.J. Augustin just hit a nice 32 foot, three point jumper. We're going into the half with a score of 56-48 Thunder. 

Ryan Kelly just got his first basket of the game. Wayne Ellington is leading the Lakers with 6 assists so far. We're halfway through the third quarter and Oklahoma is still in the lead. Ryan Kelly just hit one from behind the arc. D.J. Augustin is having a great game. I'll go ahead and list his stats at the end of "The Scoop." The Thunder hasn't had a foul in this third quarter yet. We're heading into the fourth quarter with a score of 84-72 Thunder. As usual, the Lakers have slowed down, not appearing to have given their full potential in this quarter. 

Jordan Hill just hit a wide opened, long shot. Jeremy Lin just hit a nice shot. Jordan Hill just tried to attack at the basket, missing his shot, but getting free throws (making both). Jeremy Lamb has played well during these last few minutes of the game. Jeremy Lamb has 14 points off the bench already. Jordan Clarkson just hit a nice long shot. Ibaka just had an awesome block! Ibaka just got the ball to Enes Kanter, making the layup. This looks like an obvious Thunder win. Jeremy Lin just hit a nice three pointer, which makes it his 50th for the year. Jeremy Lin just drove to the basket and scored again. Jordan Clarkson just got a nice steal with an easy dunk at the hoop. Jordan Hill just got a nice shot with 7 seconds left in the game.

The game is over with a final score of 108-101 Thunder. D.J. Augustin had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. From the Thunder, Serge Ibaka had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 assists. Enes Kanter had 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. For our Lakers, Jeremy Lin had 20 points 6 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jordan Hill had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists. Wayne Ellington had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Jordan Clarkson had 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Ed Davis had 10 points and 6 rebounds. #GoLakers

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics

It's Gametime! The Lakers starters are Carlos Boozer, Ryan Kelly, Jordan Clarkson, Wayne Ellington, and Robert Sacre. The game started off pretty bland. It makes me realize why some of my other priorities came before writing "The Scoop" the past two games. The Celtics are showing some pretty good ball movement. I wish I could say the same for the Lakers. Ronnie Price showing some good defense in this first quarter. But mostly, I'm seeing some bad defense from these Lakers. Heading into the second quarter and Wesley Johnson hits one right at the buzzer. The Lakers are down by three. 

Would love to see Nick Young as a starter. I really don't understand why he's not starting. The game is staying pretty close in this first half. I'm surprised Isaiah Thomas isn't getting more minutes on the floor. The Lakers and the Celtics are tied at 50 with two minutes left in the half. Ed Davis is leading the Lakers with 5 rebounds. The Lakers have a whopping 11 turnovers in this first half. Carlos Boozer gets a nice three point opportunity but misses the free throw. We're going into halftime with a score of 58–56 Celtics. 

Carlos Boozer already has four fouls and is about to sit down. Clarkson is 3/4 tonight so far and has 7 points. The Lakers now have 13 turnovers as Jordan Hill loses the ball. I would love to say that I have a great love for Jordan Clarkson because I see his potential. But in reality, he stably shows a great lack of enthusiasm and passion for the game of basketball. True, that maybe a harsh statement, but that's my humble, little opinion. Where's his fire?! Actually, there's not much passion in any of these Lakers right now. Are they just going through the motions, trying to get a good pick?! I mean, come on! Look at these stats! Where's the defense?! Neither team is playing all that well. If you work hard to get a foul, then you've got to knock down the free throws and the Lakers just aren't doing a good job of making that happen. Ed Davis is one who could work on that. Wesley Johnson is playing pretty well at the end of this third quarter. The Celtics have 8 turnovers now. The Lakers have a five point deficit, heading into the fourth quarter. 

Marcus Smart picks up his third personal foul. Wesley Johnson just hit a three pointer. Good for him! Nick Young just made a nice shot. I'd love to see more of that swag. The game is staying close throughout most of this fourth quarter. There are five Celtics in double figures and four Lakers in double figures. Isaiah Thomas just got kicked out of the game during his Boston debut. Good one Isaiah! Go wash your mouth out with some Lakers Staples Center soap. Jeremy Lin is on fire right now. That a boy! Wesley Johnson helping him out. It's a close game but Lakers are in the lead and the game is getting exciting. Both teams are getting a little more aggressive. During these last few minutes of the game, we're getting a little taste of the old school rivalry between these two teams. Swaggy P helping out with a nice shot. He has 11 points in this fourth quarter. The Lakers have a nine point lead with 1:25 still on the board. The score is 106-103 Lakers, and Avery Bradley knocks one down and ties the game. We're going into OT!

Boozer knocks down a mid-range, jump shot and the Lakers are up by four. Wesley Johnson hits one down right after, and the Lakers are starting to celebrate. Nick Young has a nice block against Evan Turner. That was such an important play from Young. He gets the ball, but the Celtics quickly get it back, with a three point opportunity, and they get their shot. Boozer makes a driving layup with 1:01 to go in the game. Evan Turner makes an easy layup. Jeremy Lin gets a nice three pointer, making it his season high. Wayne Ellington is heading to the free-throw line for the first time tonight. The Lakers break their seven game losing streak and take the win against the Celtics with a final score of 118-111. Tonight was a good night. 

Nick Young had 19 points and 1 assist. Wesley Johnson had 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Jeremy Lin had 25 points and 6 assists. Jordan Hill had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist. #WorthMissingTheOscars #GoLakers

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets

The Lakers starters are Ryan Kelly, Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black, Wayne Ellington, and Robert Sacre. The Lakers have now lost four in a row, and knowing how Byron Scott doesn't believe in tanking, let's strive for a win tonight. The Lakers have the first four points of the game. Ryan Kelly just hit a long three, making it a seven point lead. Both teams are struggling with defense. The Nuggets energy isn't really up to par so far. They kind of look like they're just going through the motions. The Lakers are starting off with winning mentality. Boozer just got in the game, making a shot right away. Nick Young just got in the game as well. He's been struggling making his shots lately, so hopefully he'll turn it on tonight and get some rhythm going. We haven't seen much swag from him in a while. The Lakers are up by five, going into the second quarter. 

As I look at Brian Shaw, I wonder why he's even coaching. He seems like he's such a sweet guy. But what the Denver Nuggets need, is a tough coach that will expect a lot from his players. I just don't get that determined, enthusiastic energy from Brian Shaw or any of his players. The Lakers have dominated the offensive rebounding in this first half. Going into Halftime with a score of 48–45 Lakers. Listening to the Halftime report, even Charles Barkley said, "I didn't even watch the first half." Me personally, I have literally fallen asleep during each of the past four games. Just saying... These recent games are kind of boring without our MVP. At least if Swaggy P was playing to his fullest potential, they'd be watchable games. But games like this are simply torture to watch all the way through. 

Starting the third quarter, I just saw the first sign of the Nuggets defense. Where has that been?! Look, as far as Tarik Black, I'm sure he's a great guy, and I've been watching him play, trying to develop a liking towards him. But the reality is, I really don't think I want him on my Lakers team. Having said that, we can also remove Jeremy Lin, Ryan Kelly, Carlos Boozer, and definitely Robert Sacre. It doesn't really matter which Lakers start. It's all the same. We're going to get the same results no matter how we Boggle them up. Whether they're starters or bench players, this is not a Championship Lakers team. I can't wait to see some necessary and vital changes made. Kobe Bryant will be back and he will dominate the League once again. He just needs a good team to work with. The Bosnian Beast, Jusuf Nurkic has had two nice shot blocks tonight. The Nuggets have had a 6/0 run, halfway in this third quarter. The Nuggets are now taking the lead. 

We just started the fourth quarter and the game is tied at 71. Nick Young is hitting some nice shots in this fourth quarter. Wesley Johnson helping out a little bit. It's the last minute of the game and the Denver Nuggets are doing some clutch shooting, keeping the lead. The Nuggets have a 6–0 run. Ty Lawson had a good game. This game was ridiculous. I felt the same about the last game we played and I wrote "The Scoop," but I never posted it. These games are just bad basketball. My grandfather can play better hoops. Game over. Nuggets take the win. Final score 106-96. #GoLakers

The Scoop: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings

It's one minute into the game and I'm already debating whether or not to write "The Scoop" tonight. We started off looking really sloppy. Did these Lakers see Blake Griffin's finish last night at the buzzer?! Now that was good basketball! That boy can play! I want him on my team! He's an all around phenomenal player that can literally dunk from the free throw line. Okay, back to the Lakers... The Lakers must've sensed I was talking sweet about Blake, because they turned up the intensity in their game. 

It would be great to see these Lakers give the game their all and just explode with dominance instead of seemingly being affected by all of Magic Johnson's mambo jambo, nonsense talk saying the Lakers should lose every game, if they're gonna lose. Don't listen to him! He's just trying to push your buttons to get you all in game mode. Kobe said himself that he plays better when he's angry. Get angry Kobe and turn it on! Swaggy P hits a nice "And 1" heading us into the second quarter. The score is 29-24 Kings. 

Swaggy P keeping the energy alive, starting out this second quarter on a positive note. I remember a few years back, when I got stuck with Ramon Sessions on my Fantasy Basketball team and I was so disappointed, wondering who is this guy? Now that I watch his "game", I'm asking myself the same question. Geez! Step up your game Sessions! This is the NBA! Nick Young is playing well. He's 14.8 points per game ranks fourth in the league among bench players. That's pretty swaggy! Halftime ending with Lakers down by 9 with a score of 55-46. 

Going into the third quarter, the Lakers still falling short on offense, but their defense is taking a turn for the better. Kobe turns on his old school magic hitting some great shots. We had some bad reffing towards the end of the third. When you grab Kobe and foul him without question, call that sh;&! More than a few times in this quarter, the refs seem to have swallowed their whistles. 

The fourth was a real battle and a very close quarter. Can we end this three game losing streak? It's a tie game with 1:59 on the scoreboard and a score of 92-92. Let's do this Lakers! Kobe passing the ball to Jordan Hill giving Lakers the lead. Sacramento has made two out of ten shots in the last nine minutes. They're slacking off a bit, but I'm not complaining. 

Kobe gets fouled a couple of times and goes to the line, hitting his free throws. He's 7/7 at the free throw line tonight. Good job Mamba! Game ends and Anni gets chills! Lakers 98-95. Tired of losing! Super happy! Well done boys, well done! Kobe stats were 32 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Nick Young had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist. Carlos Boozer had 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist. #GoLakers

The Scoop: Los Angeles Lakers vs. New Orleans Pelicans

Byron Scott made some new changes in the starting lineup. Ed Davis and Ronnie Price will be starting instead of Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer. Thank goodness for that! Well, at least for Lin taking a seat. Not sure what Ronnie Price is gonna bring to the table, but I'll try to be positive. We needed to do something because whatever we've been doing hasn't been working. Let's see how the Lakers progress with these new changes. 

Kobe starting out strong, making the first shot of the game. He's definitely shooting tonight! In the process he's missing a couple of early shots. Wesley Johnson turning it on early, sending a pass to Ed Davis, showing he's got skills. We've got some nice early energy tonight on this Lakers team. This Tyreke Evans guy is damn good. Really turning on the spice. 

Going into the second quarter, the Lakers are letting the Pelicans dominate them by ten points. Ridiculous! We're missing a lot of shots and we really need to make some easy buckets in this quarter, or we're gonna go down. We just gotta put it up from in the paint. Where's Kobe and why isn't he scoring and making his shots tonight?!! The Mamba needs to start scoring big time or this game ain't happening in our favour. Jordan Hill is amazing! He's always in the right place at the right time. I'm not sure where Nick Young's positive energy is tonight. Why does he need to change his shoes so much during the game?! His superstitions are distracting to me, himself, and his game. Get in game mode Swaggy! He doesn't look very enthusiastic or like he came to play. He looks kinda tired actually. That's not the Swaggy P we all know and love. 

I've decided to give the stats of the players that did well in my eyes at the end of "The Scoop." I'm starting to wonder how good Boozer really is. I'm starting to have doubts about him. The first half was truly deflating. We just can't seem to get the ball to stay in the basket. Halftime ending with 50-40 Pelicans. Blah!

The third quarter was hard to watch. The Lakers showed little effort with little to no defense. They're just standing there like tree trunks watching the Pelicans destroy them. Come on! This was simply a disturbing third quarter. Not an enjoyable game to watch. Hey, I try to be positive, but it's hard to root for a team when they're not rooting for themselves and showing very little effort. They look like they gave up. Okay, I'm gonna turn this negative energy into positive energy, which isn't easy, but we've got one more quarter of this game to really turn things around. 

This was just bad basketball. No effort, no defense, no enthusiasm, and no "game." The game ended with a Lakers defeat of 104-87. Kobe stats were 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists. Nick Young had 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. Wayne Ellington had 10 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist. Ed Davis had 12 points and 7 rebounds. I'm almost scared to hear Byron Scott rant tonight. Do you think he will? Next game I wanna see a win and some good Lakers energy! None of this half a$$, "I gave up" energy. #GoLakers